Game of Hearts
by Jan Lee
Summary: [SHORT STORY.] It's a game they play. Ino-centric. Kiba/Ino.
1. Part One

**Summary**: [ONESHOT.] It's a game they play. Ino-centric. Kiba/Ino.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Rating**: M for sex, cursing, & the usual.

**A/N:** I haven't written a fresh Kiba/Ino story in some time and I needed a breather from long, complex plots.

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**~ Game of Hearts ~**

**PART ONE**

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Ino stepped outside her father's flower shop and in the corner of her eye, she caught a dark flicker on the roof of the neighboring building. It was him again- -that stupid idiot Inuzuka. She pretended she hadn't noticed and locked the door to the shop, the bells jangling as she did so. Then she flicked her hair over her shoulder as she fought off the smirk. She felt his feral eyes on her back, tracking her as she walked her usual route to her apartment.

She wondered if he would race her home; or would he be impatient this time, grabbing her from a doorway or an alley to toss her over Akamaru's back? Usually he was impatient. Not just about seeing her, but impatient about handling her, kissing her, speaking with her.

When they started sleeping together, they had agreed that it was casual sex. She wasn't even sure how they managed to have such a great sex life but be so horrid to each other socially. Quite frankly, she blamed a six-month dry spell, and Kiba had looked so fuckable that she couldn't resist. Her stupid vagina slicked up when he approached with those wild eyes. She'd never noticed him before…except for their spectacular verbal spars, she didn't have the time of day for him.

He let her get through the door before he yanked her into a hard kiss. Barely, she heard her keys clank to the floor through the hot flood that engulfed her. His mouth on hers communicated an animal passion that left her breathless; hands were rough on her, shoving up under her skirt to her thighs and hips. Everything inside her pulsed, throbbed as he dragged her to her living room couch where he ripped her clothes in his haste to get her naked.

She wanted to bitch at him, but her irritation blipped out of existence when he pushed apart her knees and slipped deep inside her. Impatient. And then there was only his rhythm, the wash of his breath on her, her name inside each pant, and the rising tension that built at her core. She didn't care anymore about lady-like manners, not when he gave her what she needed when she needed it. Mere minutes felt like eternity until she came, hard, shredding the skin on his back with her nails and practically howling his name for all of Konoha to hear.

They lay together in the soft afterglow, his fingers idly stroking her hip, her head tucked under his chin. It was nice being skin to skin with him, breathing in time and easing away from the small annoyances and stresses of her day.

"I've got a mission," he told her out of the blue. He shifted his head so he could pierce her with his gaze. "Might take a few days."

She scoffed and rolled out of the circle his arms made, annoyed and vaguely unsettled with his predator's eyes. "Why are you telling _me _this?" To emphasize her irritation she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder.

He sat up, watched with furrowed brow as she situated her clothing. "Didn't want you missing me," he said and fixed up his pants. "I know you'd die of agony, Ino-girl."

At first, she thought he bullshitted her, but the set of his jaw, the intensity of his look suggested otherwise. He knew their game, so why was he trying to change the rules? They were each other's casual fuck buddy, nothing more. She didn't need him to try and pollute the simple purity of what they did for each other.

"You can see yourself out." She retreated into the kitchen for a glass of water, the confusion angering her. After a minute, she heard him cross the floor. "Kiba? Why aren't you gone yet?"

He leaned in the doorframe, arms crossed, broad shoulders blocking the space, and stood quietly assessing her. Heat spread over her face for no good reason. Then he closed the distance between them to sweep her into a kiss that reeled her. It was rough and sweet and he didn't let her squirm out of it when she wanted. When he kissed her goodbye, her heart did strange and unforgivable dances.

"I'm coming home to you," he caught her hair in his fist- -she gasped with surprise, not hurt, "and you better be waiting." He ducked his head and gave her a fierce lovebite on her neck.

"Let me go, you asshole." She hissed it because she was ready to fight him, but he released her without comment and left. The weirdness and confusion muted her until she heard the door open and shut. She put a hand over the sore of his bite. To the empty apartment: "What the _hell_?"

And so with the aftertaste of that moment sour in her mouth, she filled her hours with hospital work and the flower shop and training with Shikamaru and Chouji. Whatever she did, however, his absence edged into her thoughts and feelings enough that she became bitter that he was gone. Even more than usual she flung herself into her life.

Three days passed. It was in the middle of a training session when Shikamaru called a team meeting. As they stood facing each other, close enough to brush shoulders, she became aware of her teammates' scrutiny.

Chouji spoke first. "Ino, is everything okay?" He rested a gentle hand at the base of her neck, under her wind-blown ponytail.

"Everything's fine." His question puzzled her. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well," anxiously he glanced at Shikamaru, "you seem kind of, I dunno," and shifted his considerable weight, "distracted."

"What are you talking about? I've never been more focused." Annoyed, she did brush off his hand. It had sent uncomfortable prickles through her skin. "Everything's fine."

"No, Ino," said Chouji. "You're not fine. You haven't been fine since Kiba left on his mission."

She rolled her eyes, still fighting it, still denying. "Whatever. There's nothing going on between me and Kiba." She needed to deflect the conversation. "Has that idiot been bragging? _What did he say?_"

"Nothing! Nothing at all. Kiba's been as closed-mouthed as you, if that's possible," replied Chouji. "But everyone knows that you and Kiba have been hooking up. We thought you and he were, uh," he searched for a tactful phrase, "settling down together."

"_Settling down_?" The idea steamed her, very nearly made her speechless. "That's what everyone thinks? Oh, please. Kiba's the last man on Earth I'd _settle down_ with. We're having casual sex. That's all it's been, all it's ever gonna be, so drop it."

Her tone left no room for further argument, but Chouji, helpless, silently appealed to Shikamaru, who had observed the entire conversation thus far with magnanimous neutrality. He'd grown straight and tall, much like the trees in his sacred forest, and he and Chouji towered over Ino. He had never outgrown the hooded gaze, the lazy gaze, the tired, old-man gaze but the eyes he turned on her were anything but hooded, lazy, tired or old-man.

"Ino-" he started.

That's as far as he got. She _was not _going to let him lecture her. "Don't. Even. You both stay the fuck out of my sex life."

With that, she pushed chakra into her feet and charged into the rustling trees at full speed, ditching her teammates for solitude. To punish them for their nosiness, she served them a chilly helping of the Silent Treatment. Four more days passed.

Ino was in the hospital lounge, nursing a cardboard cup of lukewarm tea. A throb had started at the base of her skull and no matter how much she tried to ease it with chakra, it wouldn't leave her alone. Exhaustion, she knew, but didn't care. Her eyes were gummy, her hair greasy, her bones stiff. She had worked a double shift at the hospital three of these last four days. She hadn't spoken to those boneheads she called teammates since their last team training, and she didn't plan on speaking to them anytime soon.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes to the harsh florescent lights overhead. Behind her eyelids, she saw blood-red triangles and a beautiful, toothy smile. She loved his sharp canines and she loved the scars across his stomach and she loved his heat when their skin pressed together under her sheets. Where was that idiot? He better not be dead in a ditch somewhere. And that stupid mutt better be looking out for him. And he sure as hell better be in one piece when he got home or there would be a severe ass-kicking in store.

Stupid idiot Inuzuka. She could see the flex of his muscles under his skin, his disheveled hair when he rolled out of bed, and could hear the timbre of his voice, how it changed to work a miracle on her and got her doing what he wanted. She could hear him laughing, whispering to her, speaking in friendly tones to their friends. Then she realized she was sleeping, but it felt good to let go and float in her dreams. Sometime later, a creak indicated the lounge door had been opened. Light footsteps across the carpeted lounge floor; a body settled on the couch where Ino sat.

"Ino? Ino, you awake?"

It was Sakura. Ino forced open her eyes, stared at the blurry pink mess in front of her. "Need me?" Hard sleep had rusted her vocal cords.

"No, not right now." Sakura leaned closer. Ino's vision cleared so she could see the pale green of her best friend's eyes. Sakura stroked a finger across Ino's cheek to tuck the lose bangs behind her ears. Caring. Compassionate. Something was up, Ino knew. Sakura's next words confirmed her suspicions. "Ino. We need to talk."

"You're right. We need to talk. We haven't had a girls' night in forever." Even her words were sluggish. "I'm not up for it right now, but we can go out tomorrow night. I'm free then. What do you say?"

"I say tomorrow night's not good. Not when you're acting like this."

Ino sighed. Her bones had melted into the couch. No way could she move, not unless she had ten minutes and a complex pulley system. "I'll murder those two boneheads."

"You're wrecked. You _know _you are. You won't let your closest friends talk to you and you've been barely civil to everyone else!"

"Hn. I like working hard. Nothing's wrong with that."

Sakura grabbed Ino's hand and shoved it in front of her nose. "Just as I suspected!" Sakura declared. "Your nails are hideous! Look at those cuticles and the polish is _chipped!_ The Ino-pig I know wouldn't dare leave the house with nails like these."

"I've been busy with my life, billboard-brow, so leave me alone." Ino was too tired to fight. She pulled her hand free of Sakura's accusatory grip and with Herculean effort, drew up to her feet. "I've got rounds. See you later."

"Oh no you don't," Sakura said and too quickly blocked the door. "You're in love with Kiba and you're missing him so much it hurts and that's okay. You can miss the man you love most in the world."

Ino's heart took a sharp turn in her chest. There was a clot in her throat and an irritating sting in her eyes. Anger and dangerous fear thudded her heart against her chest. "You're wrong, Sakura. I don't love Kiba. I hate his guts. He's stupid, smelly, and stubborn. His dick is the only redeeming quality about him and I'm not talking about our private affairs with _you_. So if you could please move? Thanks."

But Sakura had a stubborn set to her brows, and she strafed into Ino's way. "Why are you so afraid of feeling something for him? It's okay to be in love."

"No, no it's not," Ino said. Her tiredness couldn't allow for any more calm or patience. Her words tasted as bitter as they sounded. "Because the last boy I was in love with turned traitor and left us high and dry for our village's sworn enemy. Because the last boy I was in love with didn't love me back, and the last boy I was in love with tore one of my closest, best friends from me. So sorry if I don't want to be in love and sorry if I just want to get laid once in a while."

With that hanging in the air between them, Ino elbowed Sakura aside and exited the lounge. The rest of the night she was left in peace to do her job, which she threw herself at until her mind blended together the minutes and hours.

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**A/N**: I'll get Part Two up here sooner or later. I'm juggling projects to try and get everything done. I didn't realize how much unfinished stuff I have lying around! Let me know what you think and share some love. =)


	2. Part Two

**A/N:** And we're back with another chapter in record time. Enjoy.

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**~ Game of Hearts ~**

**PART TWO**

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That night she dreamed a memory. In her dream, she was ten years old, full of piss and vinegar. She was with her parents in the Hero's Cemetery, to visit the clan shrines. The incense lit as an offering nauseated her, so she wandered off alone for some fresh air. In her dream, the day was bright and sunny, cloudless, and the smell of cut grass tickled her nose.

She wandered into another family's section when crying caught her attention. It was a deeply mournful rasping. Her heart broke at the sound of it. Concerned and curious, she followed the crying deeper into wooded copse littered with stone piles. On these stone piles were laid the bleached bone of skulls- -canine skulls. Here was where the Inuzuka clan laid their dead to rest.

She rounded a bend in the path and stopped short, surprised. Even after ten or more years, the memory remained vivid in her dream. Face buried in his arms, ten year old Kiba leaned on a headstone that presided over a particular stone pile. Ino felt compassionate, but even so, she was wary of him. She shifted around and must've stood there for ten minutes trying to decide what to do.

Finally she held her breath and tiptoed so she wouldn't alarm him. She got about five feet away from him before Kiba's head popped up, and he'd fixed her with such a fierce glare that she shuffled back. His ferocity was not to be trifled with.

"_What do you want?_" He was so angry and hurt under his tears.

Nervous under the blaze of his glare, she said the first thing that came to mind. "Whose grave is that?"

Kiba scowled at her, wiping away his tears with the back of his sleeve, but more kept falling. They poured over his cheeks, dripped off his chin. He watched, silent, as she'd edged closer and folded her legs under her skirt to sit by him.

She tilted her head and prompted him. "Well?"

"S'my dad's."

"I'm sorry." She really was.

He sniffed and wiped his nose again. "Why're _you_ sorry?"

"I just _am_. Can't I be sorry if I wanna be?"

He glanced away from her. "Yeah, I guess."

There was an awkward pause, and Ino traced the gravestone with her fingers. Inuzukas did not go for fancy; only Kiba's father's name graced the stone with the years of his birth and death. The smooth marble had not absorbed his son's tears. She slid her finger down a wet drip and thought that the stone itself looked to be weeping with Kiba. He made the same noises she did when she tried to stop crying but couldn't; shuddering breaths and loud, thick swallows.

"You don't have to stop crying 'cause _I'm_ here."

He'd snorted, but it came out a sob. "Yer gonna laugh at me."

"Not at this. This is different."

She felt it as soon as she'd found him. His grief touched her, but she didn't understand why, only that this was not a weapon to hurl at him when they bickered. No, never-ever. She knew she would _never_ mention this unless he spoke of it first. She would keep it a precious secret.

"You promise? On the Hero Stone?"

She took his hand. "I swear. On the Hero Stone."

Afterwards, she'd gathered him in her arms. He tensed, scared, but when she had hummed an old familiar tune, Kiba turned his face into her neck and cried openly and for so long, she thought he would dry out. She stroked his soft hair, rocked him, wiped his tears. That compassion she felt when she comforted him…it throbbed and swelled in her chest, even after all these years.

The grief he felt from so long ago traveled through that dream, through that memory to her. An echo from when she was fifteen reminded her of Master Asuma's pierced and bloody body. She sat up in bed, unable to breathe through the sobs. Weeping, she clicked her bedside lamp on and yanked out a handful of tissues. She was a mess. She didn't understand what the dream meant, so she went to the bathroom and soaked a washcloth in cold water then patted her hot face. Her tears wouldn't stop.

Her reflection in the mirror was haggard and pale and blotchy. "What is the matter with you?" she asked herself. "Crying in the middle of the night over a stupid dream? Get yourself together. You're stronger than this. You don't need this."

Eventually, the grief subsided. She didn't know why she felt so sloppy. Maybe it was time she visited the Hero Stone, where she could share sake with her master's spirit. She dressed, ignored the god-awful morning hour, and packed a sake bottle and some cups into her pouch. Outside, the world was in the deep hush of early morning. Not even the morning birds sang, nor the crickets.

She was alone. That's the way I need it, she thought. Her mind wandered to Kiba's words to her, that he was coming home to her. The idea angered her. They had agreed that any serious relationship of theirs would be riddled with constant bickering and misery. They had agreed to their casual sex. That was their way. But recently his words suggested he wanted to shift their relationship toward a more formal degree.

That would not do, she decided. He could not make her happy. She wanted someone who could make her laugh. Someone who could match her intellectually. Someone who understood her clothes and shoes and make-up and nail polish habit and not grumble at how long she took to get ready. Kiba was too uncouth, too loud, too stubborn, too…aggravating.

She arrived at the Hero Stone as the dark night grayed into pre-dawn. She made a ritual of setting out the cups and pouring the sake. Then she drank hers, winced at the burn down her throat, and splashed the sake against the polished stone where Konoha's heroes were engraved forever. Would Kiba's name go there one day? Would hers?

She poured another round for herself and for Master Asuma. "I miss you," she told him, "even though Shikamaru was clearly your favorite." She smiled because that had been their running joke. "You always knew what to do. You always knew what advice to give." She gulped the sake; again, she splashed his to the stone. "This thing with Kiba…it has to end. I can't let him do this to me." Even she didn't understand what 'this' meant. Was it that he left her behind? Was it that he set on her shoulders a duty she didn't want? How could he assume she'd be okay with being his talisman? She said finally, "I won't let him own me."

Ino poured the rest of the sake at the base of the stone to give the fallen a drink. Then she packed up and walked home. Before she even opened the door, she heard a dog's loud woofing. Her heart soared when the front door opened and Akamaru leapt out to her. Standing with a grin on his face was Kiba. She couldn't help it. She scratched Akamaru until white fluffs wafted the air around them, she let him lick her face and bark and do silly dog-dances around her.

Akamaru backed off- -it was Kiba's turn. He planted his hand on the back of her neck and kissed her breathless. She fairly melted into him, but he pulled back with narrowed eyes.

"You taste like sake," he said. "Why?"

"I visited the Hero Stone…Master Asuma."

"Oh." His next kiss was gentle, lingering. "You realize it's not even seven in the morning, right?"

How could she explain it? She realized she didn't need to when he bent over and swept her up into his arms. He carried her, giggling like a fool, into the house. Akamaru followed behind, a doggy smile on his face, and Kiba nodded at him. Akamaru grabbed the doorknob between his teeth and closed it. She didn't care about the dog slobber on the knob or the teeth marks he would leave. It felt like the past week had caught up with her and she nuzzled her face into Kiba's neck, annoyed at him but more than that, relieved he was there.

He took her to the bedroom to lay her on the bed. There was no hurry as he peeled off his clothes first then hers, no rush in the simplicity of his kissing her, of his hands over her breasts and hips, no impatience when he pushed inside her. Ino relaxed, let him take from her, forgetting her prior conviction to end things. She needed this from him, needed to feel him one last time, needed to confirm what she suspected.

And it happened when they were finished, after he stroked back her loose hair and put his forehead to hers and said, "Ino, I love you."

A maelstrom of emotion swept through her, anger, irritation, reluctance, relief, fear. She shook her head. "No," she said, "don't say that."

He sat up, frowning. His eyes were sharp on her; she could feel them in her heart. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means," _here was her opportunity to end everything_, but with his anger fueling her own she continued, "exactly that. You can't tell me you love me when all we do for each other can be accomplished in fifteen minutes or less."

"Yer wrong, Ino-girl. We've done more for each other than…than can ever be said," he finished. He took a calming breath, a patient breath, and lowered his voice. "I know you love me. And I love you. That's how it was. That's how it is. That's how it will be."

She surged out of bed. His words maddened her. "No, _you're _wrong. We agreed, Kiba! We agreed that this was going to be casual fucking. That was what I was looking for. That was what you said _you _were looking for. That's all! You can't tell me _now _that you want something serious! You can't change the rules in the middle of the play!"

"Why can't I want a serious relationship with you?" He got out of bed and she didn't like that he had a height advantage. "And why don't _you _want it?"

She didn't have a good response to that question, so she settled on, "I don't love you. I don't know where you got the idea from, but that's how it is. I'm happy that you and Akamaru are home and you're great in bed, but that's the extent of it. I want nothing more from you."

"Yer lying," he told her with such conviction that she winced from it. "Yer lying to yourself and yer lying to _me_." He grabbed up his clothes from the floor, his fury at her palpable, his hurt a cloak on his shoulders. "Yer so stupid, you know that? You think that because yer so independent you don't need anyone at all. But that's a lie."

"_You're_ the stupid one for falling in love with someone who doesn't feel the same," she spat back at him. She was close to tears again, close to showing weakness. "You're stupid for trying to change our relationship without letting me know first. How can you dump this on me? I can't even rely on you!"

_That _got his attention. "What are you _talking _about?"

"Get the hell out of my house," she told him. As far as she was concerned, they were done with the conversation. "And don't come back."

"Don't worry, I won't."

He strode out her bedroom door, and she listened as he called Akamaru to him and then slammed the front door shut. The finality of the slam stabbed at her, echoed inside her brain. You're free, she thought, so rejoice, smile, laugh with your independence. But she didn't feel joyous, she felt barren, bitter, sore.

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**A/N:** Oh, yeah. The drama, so much drama. You know you love it. Let me know your thoughts & what you'd like to see. Happy ending or something a bit more...realistic? =)


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